Royal Institution lecture: 'Science was racist' says first black lecture host
A professor who will be the first black person to host a lecture series in 200 years said science "historically has been racist" but "times are changing". Prof Chris Jackson will deliver a Royal Institution (RI) Christmas lecture this year, which will be shown on BBC Four. The geologist, from Derby, said he feels he is representing the working class, as well as the black community, and wants people to "be proud" of him. The RI said that having a black scientist host was "overdue". The Christmas science lectures were started by Michael Faraday in 1825, and are now broadcast on television annually. In 2015, Kevin Fong presented a lecture but until then they had been hosted by white scientists. Prof Jackson, who will present alongside Dr Helen Czerski and Dr Tara Shine, told the BBC: "There have clearly been other qualified black people to give this lecture in the last 200 years. "I think institutions and people have been very poor at recognising the contributions of black scientists, as they have equally women scientists. "Times are changing now so there is increasing recognition that there have been significant contributions made by those groups of people." Prof Jackson, who works in the faculty of engineering at Imperial College, London, said his lecture will be about how rocks are a "very rich record" of how climate has changed over millions of years. He said it was "an absolutely huge honour" to be chosen. A spokesman from The RI said: "While we can't change the past, we can learn from it. That's why we are doing as much as we can to bring greater diversity. "Our Christmas lecturers are always experts in their scientific discipline and always have evidence of their past commitment to public engagement, so it's great when they're also from more diverse backgrounds." Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook , Twitter , or Instagram . Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk . TV industry 'treats black people as disposable' Javicia Leslie will be TV's first black Batwoman 'The racist questions I was asked at Eton' The Royal Institution- Science Lives Here Third of Derby children don't have a dentist as local dental crisis continues 'My three years of hell next to eyesore on main road' 'Derbyshire children are penalised' says mum as council comments on petition Major police investigation launched following incident in Clay Cross Morocco rescuers dig with bare hands as foreign aid sent US denies Cold War with China in historic Vietnam visit How Russia and West agreed on Ukraine G20 language How Russia and West agreed on Ukraine G20 language US denies Cold War with China in historic Vietnam visit 'Everyone in this village is either dead or missing' A Serbian scientist's long quest to name Srebrenica's dead How chronic pain feels for me. Video How chronic pain feels for me Guyana scrambles to make the most of oil wealth The spongy creatures cleaning Zanzibar's oceans. Video The spongy creatures cleaning Zanzibar's oceans Inside a 'hijacked' South African building. Video Inside a 'hijacked' South African building The rise and fall of a parenting influencer Florida's first hurricane-proof town The greatest spy novel ever written? Why is everyone crazy about Aperol? 2023 BBC.